Hi Ok i've never made a costume ever. and I kinda dont wanna pay like 300 bucks for one... so i need help or tips. im thinkin of being Merle from Vision of Escaflowne.. can anyone help me out o.o and im not a skinny chick either... lets just say im the same size as Raven Symmon(disney's Cheeta Girls).. o.o if anyone knows how that is. XD

1. Gather all your reference pictures. Find as many as you can from as many different angles as you can (especially from the front AND back and close ups of key props or accessories). If there is a discrepancy between the anime and manga, decide which you are going with. If there are different outfits, decide which you want to do.

Consider things that need to be taken into account. In our cases, it's size. What you need to consider is: Are you going to be comfortable walking around in public wearing this? This outfit is really short, so for comfort's sake, you may want to make the dress a teensy bit longer than would be accurate. Also, you may want to consider making kick-pants (really short-shorts underwear covers, basically) to prevent your chonies from showing.

2. Find a pattern. Go to Joann's (Beverly's, Hancock's...) when they are having a pattern sale. Look through their pattern books and find something that looks as close as possible to your desired outfit. Sometimes you may need to use 2 or 3 pattern parts to complete the look. (i.e. using dress from one pattern but adding sleeves from another) Normally I wouldn't suggest this, but since this dress is SO simple (it's not even supposed to fit, it's too big on merle!) you can probably make your own pattern. Cut out newspaper until you think you have something about right (this will probably take several tries). Have someone help you hold it up to yourself to make sure it will fit you (remember to reference your pictures! her dress is loose on the top), add 1/2" all around for seam allowances and make a practice dress out of a really cheap fabric (or old sheets, etc.). This also may take a few tries. Just play with it until it seems right. Don't worry about the straps for her dress just yet, focus on the dress part.

3. Look at the details. Think about how can you execute the straps? How are you going to do the animal print detail? The tail? The shoes? The hair? the ears? I like to write notes for each of those things on whatever costume I am working on. Sometimes you may find something to help you out while you're out shopping that you didn't originally intend to get there! (i.e. during February, I found a heart-shaped mold originally intended for cookies that was PERFECT for a sailor scout uniform brooch at michael's when I was actually going there for something completely different! keep your eyes and mind open for oppertunities like that!)

4. Pick out your fabric. Is this going to be something flowy or stiff? Since you are a beginner, I would highly discourage you from using ANY stretchy fabric: just STAY AWAY! It's really frustrating to work with. Also, consider things like is this going to be comfortable against my skin? Is it going to be too see-through? Stuff like that. If it's not the right colour, are you going to have to dye it? Buy your fabric. I like to get a little extra just in case, but the practice one should have pretty much given you an accurate idea of how much fabric you're going to need. Don't forget notions! Matching thread, zippers, elastic, buttons, whatever you need.

5. Cut it out from your pattern you created and sew it up! Try it on before you attatch the straps to see if it's the fit you need. The seam allowances are there if it's a little off. You can finish the edges by folding in the extra 1/2" and making a hem.

6. Make your accessories. This is really when the help section of these forums are really, well...the most help.

7. Figure out your hair. Going w/your real hair or a wig? Amphigory.com and cosworx.com are good wig sites. Practice styling your hair that way if you are not using a wig.

Hope this helps at all! I'm more of a sewer than an accessory maker so thats why my accessories advice is lame. lol but there are plenty of people who are very talented and creative on this forum that are at your disposal, so take advantage!